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Some subarctic maritime climates don't actually get that cold.. Tórshavn's record low is -12°C and I believe Invercargill's record low is something like -8°C.. both places mild enough to support hardy palm trees
From that perspective, I'd take a subarctic maritime climate anyday over even a humid continental climate such as Minneapolis.

I would agree that wet, cold, cloudy, and high latitude seem to be the worst possible combination of weather/climate.

Places like Juneau seems are the poster child for this type of climate. weather,

-That's funny because the climate of Europe is exactly like that, except with slightly warmer summers.
- Even though Juneau is technically not a subarctic climate, it is still one of the best climates in North America. Humid continental climates are the worst offenders. Places like Ulan bator and Winnipeg can get as hot as 100F in summer , and often plummet below -50 in winter. I can be out on any day in Juneau and not feel like a victim of the weather.

-That's funny because the climate of Europe is exactly like that, except with slightly warmer summers.
- Even though Juneau is technically not a subarctic climate, it is still one of the best climates in North America. Humid continental climates are the worst offenders. Places like Ulan bator and Winnipeg can get as hot as 100F in summer , and often plummet below -50 in winter. I can be out on any day in Juneau and not feel like a victim of the weather.

Northern Europe is not everyone's cup of tea (pun intended). That said, except for parts of Scandinavia and some other remote places, most of Europe is significantly warmer and drier than Juneau.

Anyway, to me, excessive precipitation and an almost complete lack of summer are the worst attributes a climate can have. Frequent rain makes it nearly impossible to enjoy outdoors in with any consistency. And the lack of warmth pretty much rules out shorts and t-shirt. There is really nothing to enjoy about this climate.

Just so the Southern Hemisphere doesn't get left out, Invercargill and Milford Sound are non starters for me

Neither of these places are subpolar. Subpolar climates are usually defined as having at least one but no more than three months with a mean temp of 10 C / 50 F or higher. Invercargill and Milford Sound have, respectively, six and seven months over this threshold, so they are well outside of the subpolar zones.

-That's funny because the climate of Europe is exactly like that, except with slightly warmer summers.
- Even though Juneau is technically not a subarctic climate, it is still one of the best climates in North America. Humid continental climates are the worst offenders. Places like Ulan bator and Winnipeg can get as hot as 100F in summer , and often plummet below -50 in winter. I can be out on any day in Juneau and not feel like a victim of the weather.

What is considered desirable or undesirable in terms of climate is so personal… that it seems futile to attempt to rate one climate as better than another. However, I think it’s fair to make an estimate of what the average person might desire in terms of climate/weather…i.e. that most humans (6 out of 10) prefer climates where the monthly mean temps are in the 50 to 79 F range and are sunny, over colder/hotter temps and no sunshine. Again, this is not to say there are truly and bad or good climates.

In terms of Juneau, from the way I understated the climate classifications, Juneau is indeed a subarctic climate (or Boreal). Here is a close – up of the North American sector – it looks as if Juneau would fall into the E zone. Much of Europe falls into the temperate zone (Do/Dc), which is less stormy, has warmer monthly mean temps (esp in winter), more hours of sunshine, and far less extreme cold:

Now I understand, the new NOAA normals pushed the city of Juneau up 0.3 F in September, so now the "official" September mean temp in Juneau is 50 F/10 C. Meaning that there are now four (4) months with a mean temp of 50 F or higher. So technically your right, Juneau is not subarctic. However, considering the climate genetics of Juneau, as well as missing the cut by 0.3 F…I think you would agree for all intents and purpose Juneau is subarctic climate.

What is considered desirable or undesirable in terms of climate is so personal… that it seems futile to attempt to rate one climate as better than another. However, I think it’s fair to make an estimate of what the average person might desire in terms of climate/weather…i.e. that most humans (6 out of 10) prefer climates where the monthly mean temps are in the 50 to 79 F range and are sunny, over colder/hotter temps and no sunshine. Again, this is not to say there are truly and bad or good climates.

In terms of Juneau, from the way I understated the climate classifications, Juneau is indeed a subarctic climate (or Boreal). Here is a close – up of the North American sector – it looks as if Juneau would fall into the E zone. Much of Europe falls into the temperate zone (Do/Dc), which is less stormy, has warmer monthly mean temps (esp in winter), more hours of sunshine, and far less extreme cold:

Now I understand, the new NOAA normals pushed the city of Juneau up 0.3 F in September, so now the "official" September mean temp in Juneau is 50 F/10 C. Meaning that there are now four (4) months with a mean temp of 50 F or higher. So technically your right, Juneau is not subarctic. However, considering the climate genetics of Juneau, as well as missing the cut by 0.3 F…I think you would agree for all intents and purpose Juneau is subarctic climate.

It looks like the gray line should be over 58 north latitude...meaning Juneau is "right on the line" between Do and E. Again, consider that 0.3 F pushes Juneau above or below this line

That's why lines drawn on a climate map should (I think) only be used as a rough guide and not a hard line in the sand.

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